Porrata was blown away. ''The main thing is they were young people,'' he says. 'I was like, `Man, I would love to do something like that!' '' He bought their CD and learned all the songs. A month later a producer friend called and...
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Porrata was blown away. ''The main thing is they were young people,'' he says. 'I was like, `Man, I would love to do something like that!' '' He bought their CD and learned all the songs. A month later a producer friend called and asked if he'd like to audition for N'Klabe. ''We were amazed -- he was singing our songs,'' says Hector. Two weeks later Porrata moved to Puerto Rico. Now they sound like they've been singing together since childhood. They'll need all the energy and optimism they've got. The mid-90s saw the rise of a number of younger salsa acts, including Anthony (who's largely moved on to pop), Victor Manuelle and the now disbanded DLG. But salsa has been limping since the late 1990s, with formulaic, repetitive songs tailored for radio choking the music's spontaneity, and no new stars to heat up interest. It now sells dismally in the United States and with the emergence of reggaeton as the hot Latin dance genre, salsa has seemed on its last legs. Yet reggaeton artists from Tego Calderon (who uses live musicians in his stage show) and Daddy Yankee (who recently recorded a track with veteran singer Andy Montanez for Salsaton, an album named for a mix of salsa and reggaeton) have proclaimed salsa's importance as Puerto Rican music. Groups like The Spanish Harlem Orchestra and Jose Conde in New York are trying to keep salsa innovative and true to its roots. And there are plenty who feel that reggaeton could benefit from the musicianship and musicality of salsa, which is, after all, also a Caribbean Latin music style from the street. N'Klabe are doing their part. ''In the beginning people were pessimistic,'' says Porrata. ``Along the way people started believing again. It's amazing to be part of that movement. ``Salsa is something in my blood. My heart beats en clave. When you're in front of the orchestra and it's playing like it's one thing -- once it starts you can't stop.''
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